Daniel 3 Daniel s third chapter mves us frward ne step in the chiasm I described last week The chiasm f chapters 2-7 can be charted this way: A - The prphecy cncerning fur Gentile empires that dminate Israel and the wrld B - Gd delivers Daniel s friends frm Gentile persecutin C - Gd humbles the Gentile king (Nebuchadnezzar) t demnstrate His svereignty C - Gd depses the Gentile king (Belshazzar) t demnstrate His svereignty B - Gd delivers Daniel frm Gentile persecutin A - The prphecy cncerning fur Gentile empires that dminate Israel and the wrld As I said last week, Daniel s pening chapters are rganized in this way t help us make sense f Gd s (seemingly) cntradictry plan fr Israel In sme chapters, Gd is revealing His plan fr a millennia-lng Gentile dminatin f Israel In ther chapters, Gd reassures the Jewish peple that these rulers remain under Gd s svereign cntrl Despite the verwhelming might f these natins, Gd remains at the helm steering the rudder f histry Furthermre, the Lrd is still prtecting the faithful within Israel The remnant, believing Israel, will be caught up in the scattering and captivity But nevertheless, the Lrd is still with them The natin will nt be extinguished during the Age f the Gentiles And furthermre, Gd will shw Himself strng in defense f the remnant Chapter 3 f Daniel crrespnds t Pint B in the chiasm, which is the Lrd mving t defend the faith remnant amng the exiles in Babyln In particular, Daniel s three friends will be caught up in a plitical trap set by the king s ther cunselrs 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 2 f 24 Let s mve int chapter 3 with king Nebuchadnezzar again Dan. 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image f gld, the height f which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up n the plain f Dura in the prvince f Babyln. Dan. 3:2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent wrd t assemble the satraps, the prefects and the gvernrs, the cunselrs, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers f the prvinces t cme t the dedicatin f the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Dan. 3:3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the gvernrs, the cunselrs, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers f the prvinces were assembled fr the dedicatin f the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they std befre the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Dan. 3:4 Then the herald ludly prclaimed: T yu the cmmand is given, O peples, natins and men f every language, Dan. 3:5 that at the mment yu hear the sund f the hrn, flute, lyre, trign, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds f music, yu are t fall dwn and wrship the glden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. Dan. 3:6 But whever des nt fall dwn and wrship shall immediately be cast int the midst f a furnace f blazing fire. Dan. 3:7 Therefre at that time, when all the peples heard the sund f the hrn, flute, lyre, trign, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds f music, all the peples, natins and men f every language fell dwn and wrshiped the glden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Nebuchadnezzar sets abut creating his wn massive statue It s lgical t assume there is a cnnectin between the statue in the dream f chapter 2 and Nebuchadnezzar s statue Daniel has rganized his bk s that these tw events are described back-t-back S that detail alne wuld lead us t draw a cnnectin And we knw this chapter fllws the events f chapter 2 because Daniel s friends are in their rles as administratrs ver Babyln But hw clse in time are the events f chapter 2 and chapter 3? The timing f this chapter s events is a matter f sme guesswrk Several pssibilities fr when Nebuchadnezzar built this statue exist, but I think the mst likely answer is after 585 BC 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 3 f 24 In that year, Nebuchadnezzar reached his limit f patience with the Jewish peple It s been 20 years since he first cnquered the city and tk Daniel captive And in thse tw decades, he was frced t cntend with ne insurrectin after anther in Judea He had been frced t return t the city nce already t replace a rebellius king and reassert his authrity And then in 585 BC after anther rebellin, he returned a third and final time t lay waste t what remained f the city and temple He destryed the walls rendering the city indefensible He razed the temple t its fundatin And he carried ff the rest f the Jews int slavery Leaving behind a city in ruin That final victry ver Israel may be the ccasin that prmpted Nebuchadnezzar t build his statue He had received Daniel s interpretatin f the dream, s he knew he had been granted pwer by Daniel s Gd t rule the earth But nw he had successfully defeated the very natin this Gd claimed fr Himself Mrever, the king has cmpletely bliterated Yahweh s persnal temple n earth Under thse circumstances, we have t wnder if Nebuchadnezzar had begun t think he defeated Gd As if the king had succeeded in rewriting the histry represented by the timeline f the statue If s, he might have presumed there wuld n lnger be a secnd kingdm Babyln and Nebuchadnezzar wuld rule withut end 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 4 f 24 After all, if Nebuchadnezzar was capable f crushing the temple f the Gd wh gave him his pwer, then wh culd challenge him? Fr that matter, des Israel s Gd even exist any lnger? S I presume Nebuchadnezzar rders the cnstructin f this statue t cmmemrate his defeat f Israel and Yahweh The descriptin f the statue wuld seem t supprt this cnclusin First it s an image made entirely f gld We remember f curse that the statue in the dream began with gld, but it prgressed int ther metals Each metal represented a new empire, and each new empire came t pwer by defeating the prir Gentile kingdm Nebuchadnezzar understd that the Lrd intended t replace Babyln at sme pint, and we can be sure he didn t like it S by making his statue ut f nly gld, Nebuchadnezzar s message is clear He nw believes his rule will never end Gld (that is Babyln) will reign frever As the final grup f Jewish exiles were marched int Babyln fllwing Nebuchadnezzar s attack, they wuld have jined their cuntrymen in captivity They wuld have brught with them accunts f Jerusalem s destructin They wuld have tld f the falling walls Of the city s destructin And they wuld have reprted that the temple was gne Can yu imagine hw the Jews in captivity wuld have taken the news? Perhaps they were starting t dubt the prmises f their fathers Many f the exiles must have questined whether Israel was destined t disappear altgether 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 5 f 24 And certainly, many Jews decided t leave their natin and the Lrd behind Other Jews remained true t Yahweh and t His cvenant At this time in histry, the Jewish peple began the practice f meeting in synaggues They had little chice since they were living in exile and lacked a temple They als frmed many f the religius traditins that persist tday In fact, yu culd say that mdern Judaism began during the exile Nevertheless, the destructin f the city and the temple must have tested the faith f every believer in exile Nw we see why Gd delivered Daniel s interpretatin f the dream s early in their perid f captivity Daniel revealed the meaning f the statue in barely the third year f Israel s captivity He was preparing the remnant in Israel t understand cming events s as t encurage them Seventeen years later when the city walls fell fr the last time, the remnant culd see thse circumstances with a view t Gd s svereign purpse They remained strng in faith knwing the Lrd fretld it But understanding Gd s plan is ne thing...living in the light f that revelatin is quite anther The real test fr the remnant cmes when Nebuchadnezzar demands that all peple wrship his statue We dn t knw what the statue lked like, but it prbably wasn t a cpy f the statue in the dream Fr ne thing, the dimensins are very unlike nrmal human prprtins It was tall, slender and made f slid gld 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 6 f 24 It was ten times taller than it was wide It was 90 feet high, equal t an eight-stry building, and it was abut 9 feet wide If this image was f a man, then it wuld have resembled a 6 ft man with a 7 inch chest Therefre, we must cnclude this bject was shaped mre like an belisk, similar t thse set up in Egypt The image was set up n the plain f Dura, which is a wrd that means an area enclsed r walled It was smewhere near the capital city But it was set n a plain, far frm ther structures, s that it might stand ut Smething like the Washingtn Mnument standing in Death Valley surrunded in the distance by muntains In v.5 the king assembled his gvernment t carry ut his rders The varius agents represent Nebuchadnezzar s military, judicial, ecnmic, and gvernmental leaders frm all levels f the natin He infrms them that frm this pint frward, the image will be the center f wrship fr everyne in the natin Specifically, they were t bw whenever music is played The king is referring specifically t a wrship mment which always invlved musical instruments The list f instruments includes bth traditinal Babylnian instruments and Persian instruments S he s demanding that peple n matter their culture r allegiance fall in line with this new single bject f wrship Ntice he adds that Daniel adds in v.7 that peple f all languages were required t bey this cmmand Frm these details, we cme t understand that Nebuchadnezzar was less interested in establishing a new religius practice 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 7 f 24 He s wrking t ensure plitical lyalty and submissin t his abslute authrity Remember, we re still relatively early in the histry f the Babylnian empire fllwing its defeat f Assyria S Nebuchadnezzar is wrking t cnslidate pwer and expse dislyalty in his gvernment And f curse, the whle affair is als an exercise in pride and hubris Assuming the image was square, an bject f this size wuld have required abut 4,400 tns f gld And 4,400 tns f 24k gld wuld be wrth $204 trillin tday, r rughly equal t the number f cat vides n the internet This was Nebuchadnezzar s absurd testimny (i.e., 10:1 rati) f his superirity ver any ther gd, including the Gd f Israel As a means f expsing dislyalty, his tactic prbably wasn t very effective in the plytheistic cultures f Babyln and Persia These were peple cmfrtable with wrshipping images and many different gds It prbably wasn t a huge sacrifice t switch frm their traditinal images t this new ne S I dubt Nebuchadnezzar s display f grandeur expsed much ppsitin within his gvernment On the ther hand, this kind f test is tailr made fr expsing dissent amng the Jews, whse Law specifically prhibited wrship f graven images Nw we see the Lrd s hand at wrk behind the scenes He brught Nebuchadnezzar t this mment specifically t test the hearts f His peple, Israel In the case f Daniel s friends, the test becmes especially severe In v.6 Nebuchadnezzar declares, quite dramatically, that anyne wh failed t abide by his cmmand wuld be thrwn int a furnace fire Excavatins in the area f Babyln have uncvered massive vens 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 8 f 24 Babyln s furnaces were used t bake the bricks fr the natin s buildings and walls If yu ve seen pictures f the ruins f Babyln in Iraq, then yu ve seen the prduct f thse vens These are the very same vens that held Daniel s friends Ancient dcuments frm the time describe disbedient slaves being thrwn int these vens, s the king s idea wasn t nvel Dan. 3:8 Fr this reasn at that time certain Chaldeans came frward and brught charges against the Jews. Dan. 3:9 They respnded and said t Nebuchadnezzar the king: O king, live frever! Dan. 3:10 Yu, O king, have made a decree that every man wh hears the sund f the hrn, flute, lyre, trign, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds f music, is t fall dwn and wrship the glden image. Dan. 3:11 But whever des nt fall dwn and wrship shall be cast int the midst f a furnace f blazing fire. Dan. 3:12 There are certain Jews whm yu have appinted ver the administratin f the prvince f Babyln, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg. These men, O king, have disregarded yu; they d nt serve yur gds r wrship the glden image which yu have set up. Daniel reprts that the king s edict gave pprtunity fr certain Chaldeans t bring charges against the Jews serving in the king s curt Remember, we said at the end f last week s teaching that Daniel s sudden success at a very yung age wuld have created enemies The king s ther cunselrs wuld have been intensely jealus f Daniel s instant prmtin ver them And they wuld prbably have feared that smene with Daniel s insight might expse them as frauds r incmpetent And that dislike als transferred t Daniel s three friends, wh had prmted alngside him Nrmally, these cunselrs wuld have waited and watched until their adversary slipped up, ding smething t incriminate themselves r give rise t an accusatin But in this case, Daniel and his friends were righteus in their behavir and incrruptible in their character 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 9 f 24 S these men needed a break And Daniel says, fr this reasn they have their pprtunity In ther wrds, Gd gave Daniel s enemies the break they were waiting fr in the frm f this edict The king s edict expsed the Jews cmmitment t shw allegiance t Yahweh ver the king This is always the expectatin fr Gd s peple Our allegiance t Gd is never secnd place t anything in this wrld Fr the Jewish peple, the Law demanded that they have n gds befre the Lrd Nt nly wuld they nt wrship false images, but they wuld nt put the cmmands f men abve the precepts f Gd The New Testament believer is under similar expectatins, as Jesus said Mark 12:17 And Jesus said t them, Render t Caesar the things that are Caesar s, and t Gd the things that are Gd s. And they were amazed at Him. The gvernment deserves ur hnr and bedience, as Jesus says give what is required t the Rman ruler Caesar But then He adds that we must likewise render t Gd what Gd has reserved fr Himself And the Lrd has reserved fr Himself ur wrship and ur bedience, even abve ur allegiance t the gvernment As Paul teaches Rm. 13:7 Render t all what is due them: tax t whm tax is due; custm t whm custm; fear t whm fear; hnr t whm hnr. Paul says we give t all what is due Certain things are due t the gvernment, which the Lrd has appinted ver us fr ur gd 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 10 f 24 Similarly, we shuld render hnr t the sciety in which we live by bserving custms as expected But we als render fear t Gd, and ur fear f Gd must trump ur fear f men In ther wrds, when ur bedience t Gd cmes int cnflict with ur bedience t human rulers, we will face a fearful chice One way r the ther, we are ging t make smene upset, which will cause us t fear fr the cnsequences Either we will chse t bey the Lrd and disbey the gvernment In which case we will have reasn t fear the gvernment s respnse t ur disbedience Or we will chse t bey the gvernment and disbey the Lrd In which case, we will have gd reasn t fear what the Lrd may d in respnse t ur disbedience Paul says when we face that chice, we shuld render fear t whm deserves ur fear...and Wh deserves ur fear? Luke 12:4 I say t yu, My friends, d nt be afraid f thse wh kill the bdy and after that have n mre that they can d. Luke 12:5 But I will warn yu whm t fear: fear the One wh, after He has killed, has authrity t cast int hell; yes, I tell yu, fear Him! Accrding t Jesus, the One Wh deserves yur fear is Gd The earthly ruler yu upset can nly take revenge s far But the Lrd can take revenge much farther, s fear Him mre If yu make yur pririty preserving yur earthly peace, then yu risk yur eternal reward, as Jesus said Matt. 10:37 He wh lves father r mther mre than Me is nt wrthy f Me; and he wh lves sn r daughter mre than Me is nt wrthy f Me. Matt. 10:38 And he wh des nt take his crss and fllw after Me is nt wrthy f Me. Matt. 10:39 He wh has fund his life will lse it, and he wh has lst his life fr My sake will find it. 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 11 f 24 That s the dilemma faced by Daniel s friends The Chaldeans ntice that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg have declined t bw and wrship the image as required These three men apparently didn t attempt t hide their disbedience Fr example, we might imagine them bwing n cue but in their hearts praying t Yahweh instead f the statue They wuld nt have been wrshipping the belisk, thugh they may have appeared t be in cmpliance I ve heard stries f missinaries praying t Jesus when the lcal msque calls fr Muslims t pray They bw and pray, but they pray in their heart t Jesus The actins f Daniel s friends strngly suggest that there is smething wrng with any cmprmise that cnceals ur true wrship s as t avid drawing attentin t ur disbedience The circumstances f Daniel 3 suggest strngly that Gd expects ur public wrship behavir t cmprt with ur private understanding f Him When the wrld demands we bw t a false gd, we d nt have license t cmply utwardly while secretly disagreeing in ur hearts Our behavir IS ur testimny, s t behave in any way cntrary t ur beliefs is sin Furthermre, this vilates the spirit f the 2nd cmmandment which frbids graven images A graven image isn t just a false gd A graven image als refers t images that stand fr the true Gd S we cannt bw t any image in wrship, even if we tell urselves we are secretly wrshipping the true Gd We are vilating Gd s cmmandment, and cnsequently such wrship will nt be accepted by Gd Instead, we must be prepared t accept the cnsequences f disbeying men s that we might please the Lrd 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 12 f 24 That is what Daniel s friends did, and as a result their enemies used their faithfulness t Gd as cause t cast accusatins against them In v.12 they tell the king these three were nt willing t cmply with the king s rders In v.11 they cnveniently reminded the king that he rdered thse wh will nt cmply be thrwn int the fire These cnspiratrs seem t have fund the perfect slutin t their prblem But it s ne Gd Himself has cnstructed fr a greater purpse We might wnder at this pint why Daniel wasn t caught up in the accusatins? N ne knws fr sure Perhaps these cnspiratrs were t afraid f Daniel s pwer t accuse him Or perhaps Daniel was smewhere else and culdn t be bserved Fr this reasn perhaps Daniel receives his wn mment f testing later in the bk Finally, there is an interesting picture emerging in the stry f Nebuchadnezzar We knw frm chapter 2 that Nebuchadnezzar is the first ruler in the Age f the Gentiles He was the head f gld He is the single mst pwerful man n earth in his day All natins and peples and even the animals have been given ver t his authrity At the ppsite end f the statue, we learned that the age will end when Jesus Christ returns t set up His eternal Kingdm His return cmes at the pint f the ten tes n the statue, which we have yet t see explained in the bk f Daniel Later in chapter 7 we learn abut these tes 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 13 f 24 Als later we learn that as the Age f Gentiles cmes t its end, ne man will have gained all pwer ver all peple and natins in that day Therefre, the Age f the Gentiles will cme t an end under circumstances very similar t the way it begins It starts with ne Gentile man ruling the entire wrld And it will end with ne Gentile man ruling the whle wrld It starts with a king requiring all his subjects t wrship an image he erects in his wn hnr And it will end with a king requiring the whle wrld t wrship an image he erects in his wn hnr We ll learn mre abut this cnnectin when we reach chapter 7 When the king learns f the bys rebellin, he becmes enraged and reacts in a predictable way Dan. 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave rders t bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg; then these men were brught befre the king. Dan. 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar respnded and said t them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg, that yu d nt serve my gds r wrship the glden image that I have set up? Dan. 3:15 Nw if yu are ready, at the mment yu hear the sund f the hrn, flute, lyre, trign, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds f music, t fall dwn and wrship the image that I have made, very well. But if yu d nt wrship, yu will immediately be cast int the midst f a furnace f blazing fire; and what gd is there wh can deliver yu ut f my hands? Dan. 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg replied t the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we d nt need t give yu an answer cncerning this matter. Dan. 3:17 If it be s, ur Gd whm we serve is able t deliver us frm the furnace f blazing fire; and He will deliver us ut f yur hand, O king. Dan. 3:18 But even if He des nt, let it be knwn t yu, O king, that we are nt ging t serve yur gds r wrship the glden image that yu have set up. The king is angered and demands the three appear befre him I m sure they were ushered in unceremniusly and prbably rughly The king asks them whether what he has heard is true 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 14 f 24 But it s clear this was a rhetrical questin, since we dn t see him waiting fr an answer He decides there s n reasn t entertain a discussin, since it s easy enugh t settle the matter ne way r there ther He simply puts the demand t them nce again Will they bw dwn t the image? And if they will nt, he repeats the threat t put them in fire Imagine the fear yu wuld feel in this mment? Stries like this tend t lse their impact fr experienced Bible students because we knw hw the stry ends Knwing there will be a miraculus utcme rbs the scene f sme f its drama We see the men s curage as lgical given what Gd is prepared t d But these men didn t knw the end f the stry S try t put yurself back in the mment with these men They were hustled int this mment withut warning, withut a chance t prepare their hearts, withut time t pray They find themselves standing befre the mst pwerful man in the wrld, wh is visibly upset with them He s prbably shuting as he declares they are mments away frm a painful death Understanding the situatin they faced makes their respnse all the mre admirable First, they say they dn t need t answer the king They mean he already knws what they are ging t say Just as the king s questin was rhetrical, their answer is bvius They are Jews; they will nt wrship an image 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 15 f 24 Furthermre, they declare their Gd is mre pwerful than Nebuchadnezzar, and He can deliver them frm the furnace if He chses Then they add that even if the Lrd shuld chse nt t deliver them under these circumstances, it matters nt Nt even death is reasn t turn their backs n Gd s wrd Many a Bible cmmentatr has remarked n the nble respnse f these men They have taken the cmmand f scripture t lve the Lrd yur Gd with all yur heart with all yur sul and with all yur strength And they have made bedience their aim in life Gd s glry befre the natins was mre imprtant t them their wn security and even their very lives Perhaps mre amazing is their unwavering trust in Gd s svereignty It s ne thing t stand firm against the king by saying Gd will save me But it s anther thing altgether t stand firm knwing Gd may decide nt t save yu T ften we cnflate Gd s ptential t act with Gd s willingness t act Gd is capable f all things, yes, but self-evidently He nly des certain things Therefre, ur reslve t remain bedient in times f testing cannt be based n an expectatin that Gd is bligated t respnd t ur faithfulness accrding t ur desires That s a quid pr qu, and it s superficial bedience at best It s equivalent t a child wh des his chres merely t receive his allwance That s nt bedience...that s emplyment The true test f whether ur hearts are bedient is whether we will serve the Lrd even if His will is t see us suffer fr that bedience 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 16 f 24 Remember, Gd s wn Sn was nt spared frm suffering despite living a life f perfect bedience t the Father And n slave is abve his Master Therefre, we must leave rm fr the same pssibility When we live this way, we please the Lrd We wn t be disappinted r discuraged when ur bedience isn t met with prsperity, happiness and easy living Gd can d all things, but He nly des what is gd, right and best In the case f these men, the right thing was t allw the king t carry thrugh n his threats and then t manifest Himself in the result Dan. 3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expressin was altered tward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg. He answered by giving rders t heat the furnace seven times mre than it was usually heated. Dan. 3:20 He cmmanded certain valiant warrirs wh were in his army t tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg in rder t cast them int the furnace f blazing fire. Dan. 3:21 Then these men were tied up in their trusers, their cats, their caps and their ther clthes, and were cast int the midst f the furnace f blazing fire. Dan. 3:22 Fr this reasn, because the king s cmmand was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely ht, the flame f the fire slew thse men wh carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg. Dan. 3:23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg, fell int the midst f the furnace f blazing fire still tied up. The king s rage transfers t the temperature f the fire He rders that the furnace be turned up 7 times htter The number 7 represents cmpletin S Daniel isn t saying the furnace was necessarily exactly 700% htter He s saying the king rdered the furnace t its maximum temperature (i.e., turning it up t 11 ) The furnace itself was prbably am adbe structure several stries tall and lined with natural stnes that culd withstand the heat 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 17 f 24 The tp f the structure was pen t exhaust the fumes Mving dwn the structure yu wuld find varius penings int which the clay bricks were inserted t cure in the furnace At the bttm were pening fr shveling in the wd and remving ash The three men are prbably led t ne f the penings tward the tp f the ven They wuld have ascended the structure n a series f ramps r stairs We can imagine the three Jewish men in the frnt f the prcessin The guards fllw them, frcing them t climb ever higher n the structure Finally, the guards then push the three Jewish men int the furnace thrugh ne f the penings in the side f the furnace Ntice that these men fell int the furnace fully clthed and tied up These details becme mre imprtant in the next passage f the chapter After depsiting Daniel s friends in the furnace, these guards wuld have then climbed back dwn And n their way dwn, fire frm inside the ven suddenly belches utward thrugh ne f the lwer penings And the guards are cnsumed Irnically, Nebuchadnezzar s rage blinded the king int ding smething flish If he truly wanted t inflict maximum punishment upn these three men, he wuld have rdered the ven turned lwer, nt higher Setting the ven t a lw temperature wuld have prlnged their agny But by increasing the temperature, he ensured a quick and relatively painless death 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 18 f 24 His hasty decisin als resulted in sme f his wn men dying That utcme is a signature mve by Gd It revealed Gd at wrk t fulfill His prmises t Abraham That is, thse wh curse Israel will receive the very curses themselves Fr the Jew, this detail was imprtant It signified that even when an all-pwerful wrld ruler has taken Israel s captivity destryed the temple, Gd is still n His thrne keeping His cvenants This is the central message f the chapter The lives f these three men are finding their purpse in this testimny In a sense, we can say that the Lrd has placed these men in this situatin s that by their testimny they can give meaning t Israel s defeat And they can give encuragement t Gd s peple Dan. 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astunded and std up in haste; he said t his high fficials, Was it nt three men we cast bund int the midst f the fire? They replied t the king, Certainly, O king. Dan. 3:25 He said, Lk! I see fur men lsed and walking abut in the midst f the fire withut harm, and the appearance f the furth is like a sn f the gds! Dan. 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near t the dr f the furnace f blazing fire; he respnded and said, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg, cme ut, yu servants f the Mst High Gd, and cme here! Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg came ut f the midst f the fire. Dan. 3:27 The satraps, the prefects, the gvernrs and the king s high fficials gathered arund and saw in regard t these men that the fire had n effect n the bdies f these men nr was the hair f their head singed, nr were their trusers damaged, nr had the smell f fire even cme upn them. The lwer mst level f these furnace featured large penings tall enugh t walk thrugh These pens allwed men t refuel and stke the fires 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 19 f 24 Thrugh these penings smene utside the furnace culd watch the fire burning inside S apparently the king has statined himself at this pint s he can peer int the fire f the furnace frm a safe distance Naturally, he expects t see three bdies fall frm abve and instantly burst int flame under the intense heat Instead, he stands up in astnishment as he witnesses men standing and mving arund in the furnace fire seemingly unharmed And nt three men nly but a furth man as well The king als sees the men are lsed (unbund) Their rpes have been taken away, perhaps burned away Nw they are free Finally, the king remarks that the appearance f the furth man is different He describes him as a sn f gds His wrds mean a human wh appeared t have divine pwer Remember, he wrshipped pagan gds ften prtrayed in the likeness f men r animals We knw that Nebuchadnezzar s wrds were mre crrect than he culd have knwn, cming abut 600 years early This furth persn was the Angel f the Lrd The Angel f the Lrd is always the Persn f Christ prir t His incarnatin as Jesus f Nazareth Even befre He tk n flesh, the Lrd Jesus was still at wrk in His Creatin And in fact, Clssians 1 and Hebrews 1 bth teach that all visible manifestatins f Gd are always the wrk f the Secnd Persn f the Gdhead S when Christ makes an appearance in the Old Testament, He s called the Angel f the Lrd 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 20 f 24 Thugh that name is nt given here specifically, we knw by the miraculus nature f the mment and the king s cmment that this is Christ He appears in the fire t save these men They are saved frm heat, txic fumes, and lack f xygen They were even saved frm the fall frm a great height When the Lrd saves us, He truly saves They remain in the fire until the king calls them ut Presumably, they culd have run ut immediately, but they remain in the furnace It seems the Lrd wanted t make a pint t the king mre than simply saving the men He wants the king t be cnvinced And f curse it wrked, fr the king called them ut and they emerged stunned everyne watching Quite a crwd had assembled t see this mment The king prbably required their presence He wanted t shw his pwer against thse wh wuld challenge him As the three walk ut unharmed, even their clthes are untuched There is nt even an dr frm the furnace in their clthes Here s where the clthing becmes an imprtant element in the stry Nrmally, we might expect cndemned men t lse their clthing prir t their executin This was certainly the usual practice We still find it practiced in Jesus day as He was stripped f his clthing at the crss 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 21 f 24 But these men were allwed t keep their clthing, presumably because the king s anger prpelled the sldiers t act with extreme haste Gd even preserved it frm the flame Gd ensured these men wuld emerge frm the furnace with bth their lives and their dignity intact The king had attempted t kill them and t d s in a way that made an examples ut f them But in the prcess, Gd has set the example He has cnsumed His adversaries, vindicated His faithful, restring their dignity while vacating the king s rders The king shws he received the lessn, declaring these three are servants f the Mst High Gd, a declaratin he repeats seven times T the Jew in captivity, this accunt wuld have been a surce f real encuragement The dream in chapter 2 fretld that Israel wuld suffer under Gentile kings But the events f chapter 3 remind Gd s peple that these kings still remain under Gd s svereign cntrl Israel cannt defeat these Gentiles pwers since the Lrd has appinted them t rule ver Israel fr a time But neither can these Gentiles defeat Gd s faithful fr the Lrd cntinues t hnr His wrd and His cvenants t them In fact, their judgment during the Age f the Gentiles is itself a result f Gd s prmises t Israel in His cvenant But this scene is als a surce f encuragement t every man r wman wh fllws Christ in faith The three men walking up the stairs t their death can said t represent all believers We carry ur burdens f sin with us, all that we pssess 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 22 f 24 We are bund by that sin, declared guilty and sentences t death in the eternal fire that never dies But as we fall ur faith in Jesus saves us frm destructin Jesus Himself enters the furnace s as t save us frm the judgment Jesus cuts ur bnds and free us unharmed After the men emerge, the king recgnizes t a degree the lessn the Lrd was teaching Dan. 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar respnded and said, Blessed be the Gd f Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg, wh has sent His angel and delivered His servants wh put their trust in Him, vilating the king s cmmand, and yielded up their bdies s as nt t serve r wrship any gd except their wn Gd. Dan. 3:29 Therefre I make a decree that any peple, natin r tngue that speaks anything ffensive against the Gd f Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg shall be trn limb frm limb and their huses reduced t a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is n ther gd wh is able t deliver in this way. Dan. 3:30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg t prsper in the prvince f Babyln. The king begins t put the pieces tgether He declares these men are blessed He acknwledges they placed their trust in the right place, in their Gd And yet he acknwledges they defied his rders in the prcess Interestingly, the king desn t try t glss ver the fact that this men disbeyed his rders Their survival has made such an impressin n the king that he drps any pretense f saving face r hnr in the face f their triumph He acknwledges this utcme as Gd-rdained and he yields t it And he declares these men deserve praise fr standing up fr what they believed 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 23 f 24 Then he reverses his prir edict t have these men punished fr their defiance As the unchallenged svereign in Babyln, Nebuchadnezzar had the authrity t reverse earlier decisins with impunity This will nt be the case fr the Persian rulers later in this bk His new decree is that n ne may speak a wrk against the Gd f these men He remves any threat against them arising ut f their wrship f Yahweh Furthermre, he sets the stage fr future generatins f Jews t exist alngside Babyln and later the Med-Persians withut fear They will remain in captivity fr sme time lnger But they will nt lnger see their wrship f the true Gd inhibited Here again is a strng encuragement fr the Jew in exile The Lrd may have placed them in difficult circumstances But He will expects them t cntinue in their faithful bedience t His cmmands even in the exile And nw He has made sure they may d s withut an impediment The ending f this stry serves as anther picture f hw the end f the Age f the Gentiles will prceed In a future day, Israel will find itself subjected t a fiery trial frm a single wrld ruler In that trial, the natin will seem t be at its end And the temptatin t repudiate the Lrd will be great, fr it will seem like the nly way t survive But in the last mment, the Lrd will appear t save Israel frm their trial and preserve against their enemy And the result will be Israel left unharmed And their enemies will acknwledge the Lrd s superirity 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Daniel 3 24 f 24 We will cntinue t lk int these parallels with increasing detail as mve further int the chapters f Daniel 2016 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.